French firm Nanoe is a pioneer in bound filament 3D printing, offering Zetamix filaments for ceramics, Ceramic Matrix Composite materials (ceramics with fiber), steel, and zirconia.Nanoe’s filaments make 3D printing ceramics and steel accessible, as regular fused deposition modeling (FDM) printers can process these materials.Parts produced with these materials are generally dimensionally accurate and cost-effective.
However, the debinding and sintering processes required to finalize these parts can be challenging.While the metal injection molding (MIM) community possesses the necessary equipment and expertise, Nanoe provides specialized equipment designed to optimize the production of components from bound filament.Now, the company is collaborating with equipment maker Cerrinov to offer a metal sintering furnace, the Zetasinter 4L.
Unveiled at Formnext 2024, the furnace is now officially available.It features a chamber measuring 140 mm by 250 mm, providing a total volume of 4 liters.Designed for both testing and small-series production, the furnace is attractively priced at €25,000 and is expected to ship this quarter.
The furnace is part of a larger collaboration between Nanoe and Cerrinov, described as “part of a wider initiative by Nanoe, Project Zetafactory 4.0, financed by BPI France and France 2030, aimed at developing a fully open ecosystem for sinter-based additive manufacturing.” This is excellent news, as much of the existing equipment landscape consists of disparate devices and workflows.An accessible, open workflow could enable many more users to explore and adopt sintering technologies for production.“As we see more and more customers adopting metal filament 3D printing for tooling and spare parts, we could feel the need for a bigger and more user friendly furnace compared to our current lab version.
This increased capacity will allow our customers to print bigger parts, or to produce small and medium batches of parts.The launch of this product also comes at a significant time, with competitors on metal FFF like Desktop Metal, Markforged and Forward AM going through significant challenges.We feel this new offer can bring an open and more durable alternative to these solutions.Finally, while it is perfectly dimensioned for metal FFF, this furnace could also be used for other sinter based additive manufacturing technologies, and we are opened to such collaborations as well,” said Zetamix CEO Guillaume de Calan.
Guillaume rightly highlights the current “mergerapocalypse” in additive manufacturing.With Markforged and Desktop Metal potentially merging into a single company, there is a risk that support for certain products may vanish or that one of the firms may emerge significantly weakened.Such uncertainties surrounding filament-based technologies could deter widespread adoption, especially among those seeking reliable solutions for production.
For production use, a healthy market with multiple innovative vendors is essential.Nanoe and its Zetamix subsidiary are wisely focusing on expanding the overall pie, making it more accessible and sustainable to secure their growth.Their approach—emphasizing standards, open access, and fostering a diverse vendor ecosystem—supports broader adoption.
Many would be happy to be a big fish in a tiny pond but I think that being a healthy fish in a much bigger pond is a better state of affairs. “We are truly honored to support Nanoe’s innovative work and are excited to see how these advanced furnaces will contribute to sintering of metal 3D printed parts.This collaboration exemplifies the power of partnership and shared dedication to pushing the boundaries of technology,” stated Cerinnov Group CEO Arnaud Hory.
Many people still don’t regard bound metal filament as a true production technology.However, for certain parts, it is ideal, offering the high performance of materials like alumina and zirconia at a relatively low cost.While slurry stereolithography may be better suited for the tiniest or most intricate parts, bound metal technology excels in producing larger parts and a variety of geometries, delivering consistent, repeatable results at scale.
Although creating the first part can be challenging, bound filament technology combines a relatively low initial investment with the capability to produce high-performance, end-use parts, making it a compelling option for serial production.I firmly believe that this technology is poised to grow significantly in medical, aerospace, and defense applications in the years ahead.It’s encouraging to see companies working to make the 3D printing market more accessible and functional for everyone, and I hope more firms adopt this collaborative and innovative approach in the future.
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